Lab Four was our Halloween lab. In this lab we were instructed to observe two children a boy and girl which I have named Billy and Kristen. These two children were to demonstrate skills in catching and throwing. As I have previously stated the girls have been the ones that have had better movement skills. This though was different when it came to object control. These two individuals were of the same age and grade level, the only difference being there gender. In my observations the boy did a much better job catching and throwing the objects. During the overhand throw the boy was able to transfer his weight while throwing and had a good follow-through. The girl on the opposite hand was not able to do this. She stood with her shoulders square to he target and had no follow-through. When throwing her non-dominate arm was pinned to her side and had no assistance in the throwing motion. In catching this pattern was still evident. The boy was still the more dominant child in the skills presented. He bent to absorb the object and caught it with his hands. The girl caught the object with her elbows and was straight up and down, not absorbing any of the force. This allowed for many of the time she attempted to catch the ball to be unsuccessful. I cannot be for sure what the reason for this is. It may be that the boy I was observing had more experiences in these types of skills as where the girl did not.
My experience at St. Mary's was a good one. At first with our Professor not being there it was a little hectic, but eventually things came together. My job this past week was special projects where I went around and asked questions about how well my peers did teaching. I got many mixed reviews from them. I have noticed that during our practice labs the lessons go by much smoother. When it comes to actually teaching with young children the lessons that were previously quite good tend to fall apart. I believe this due to the stress of actually working with real students, and the inexperience that most of us still have. Also when working with children many obstacles can occur. The lessons that are planned may be too difficult, or not age appropriate. So this is why I am trying to implement different variations to my lessons. It is the same lesson that I wanted to teach before, but now I have choices so adjustments can be made if necessary.
My experience at St. Mary's was a good one. At first with our Professor not being there it was a little hectic, but eventually things came together. My job this past week was special projects where I went around and asked questions about how well my peers did teaching. I got many mixed reviews from them. I have noticed that during our practice labs the lessons go by much smoother. When it comes to actually teaching with young children the lessons that were previously quite good tend to fall apart. I believe this due to the stress of actually working with real students, and the inexperience that most of us still have. Also when working with children many obstacles can occur. The lessons that are planned may be too difficult, or not age appropriate. So this is why I am trying to implement different variations to my lessons. It is the same lesson that I wanted to teach before, but now I have choices so adjustments can be made if necessary.
While writing the reflections, don't focus on the skills you assessed, but more on how you felt participating and interacting with the children. Also, separate the blog into paragraphs to make it easier to read.
ReplyDeleteOverall you have been progressing at a good rate. Just remember to show your enthusiasm at the school. It will make the games more enjoyable for the students and yourself.